Sweet Dessert Crepes
My dear readers, you may have noticed a gap in posts lately. Yes, it's true. I have been away from the kitchen, or hurriedly making super-easy repeats of things already posted here, or just plain old going out to eat.
We also managed to sneak in a week-long vacation to Los Angeles. It was crazy! I have only been there once before, back in 1997. Things were very different this time. We ate at the evil Golden Arches restaurant too many times out of convenience's sake, and tried a few local diners. One night Justin's sister provided sandwich-makings for a picnic in the park down from the hotel. Another night, we had a good-sized family dinner where Justin fixed Garlic Filet on the grill and his sister and friends made various side dishes. Theresa made deviled eggs with minced olives mixed inside. Andrea made a very tasty tomato-mozzarella caprese. Christina made guacamole. It was nice for me to able to just relax and not be the cook for once.
After we got back home, it was a super change of pace to have some comfort food. Ham, buttered noodles, and steamed cauliflower was a welcome home-cooked meal. Then, I blinked and it was Father's Day!
Poor Justin has been begging me to make strawberry crepes for ages. I had to make them for Father's Day! I made some crepes without strawberry filling for his birthday breakfast. He was semi-disappointed. True, these are still good with butter and maple syrup, but not as amazing as strawberry filled ones. I finally broke down and bought 2 lbs of strawberries to make sure I'd have enough for filling. I meant to make the strawberry filling for his birthday, but Haley chowed the berries before I could get to them. I'm not kidding. She opened the fridge, got the berries, and ate all but two while sitting on the kitchen floor in front of the fridge.
Now for one little note. I used my Strawberry Mousse Filling here. I made a batch about an hour in advance. If you want to simplify, chopped strawberries mixed with some sugar make a nice filling. Then use whipped cream on top. Yes, if you want to use spray-can whipped cream go ahead.
Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons amaretto or cognac (I used amaretto)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
about 1/3 cup melted butter (I used salted butter)
Method
1. Place all ingredients, except butter, into a blender, starting with the wet ones first. Cover and blend until smooth. You may want to use a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides and blend again to make sure you got it all.
2. Let the batter rest at room temperature, covered, about 30 minutes. If you want to make this further in advance, like earlier in the day or the night before (if you want to make these for breakfast), please store the covered batter in the fridge.
3. To cook, heat your 10" frying pan to about the same temperature that you would use to cook pancakes. I test the pan using drops of tap water. If it drips into the pan and immediately boils, scatters and evaporates, it is ready. Brush melted butter in the bottom of the pan. Quickly pour in about 1/3 cup of batter. Tilt, swirl, and wiggle the pan to make the batter spread evenly and coat the entire surface. (If you use a larger pan, you will need a bit more batter. A smaller pan will use a bit less, maybe 1/4 cup.)
4. Cook about 2-3 minutes. The edges should brown and start to curl. I like to wiggle the pan to see if the crepe has loosened on it's own. If it has, I use a large flexible spatula to turn it. If your crepe is sticking to the pan, you may need to run your spatula along the edges to help it lift if you don't want it very brown. If you are talented at pan-flipping cooked foods, you can flip your crepe that way. If you have people watching you cook, it's really impressive.
5. Cook until you reach your desired brownness. Transfer finished crepe to a plate and brush one side with melted butter. (If you want to cook all crepes before serving, carefully layer them on a plate kept in a warm oven. Then proceed to step 6.)
6. To fill, place about 3 generous tablespoons of filling, here I used Strawberry Mousse Filling, along the center. Roll it up like a cigar and serve two together.
You might want to sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or a drizzle of complimentary syrup or fruit coulis. You could also serve them unfilled with maple syrup, or use them for blintzes.
This recipe should make 10-12 crepes.
We also managed to sneak in a week-long vacation to Los Angeles. It was crazy! I have only been there once before, back in 1997. Things were very different this time. We ate at the evil Golden Arches restaurant too many times out of convenience's sake, and tried a few local diners. One night Justin's sister provided sandwich-makings for a picnic in the park down from the hotel. Another night, we had a good-sized family dinner where Justin fixed Garlic Filet on the grill and his sister and friends made various side dishes. Theresa made deviled eggs with minced olives mixed inside. Andrea made a very tasty tomato-mozzarella caprese. Christina made guacamole. It was nice for me to able to just relax and not be the cook for once.
After we got back home, it was a super change of pace to have some comfort food. Ham, buttered noodles, and steamed cauliflower was a welcome home-cooked meal. Then, I blinked and it was Father's Day!
Poor Justin has been begging me to make strawberry crepes for ages. I had to make them for Father's Day! I made some crepes without strawberry filling for his birthday breakfast. He was semi-disappointed. True, these are still good with butter and maple syrup, but not as amazing as strawberry filled ones. I finally broke down and bought 2 lbs of strawberries to make sure I'd have enough for filling. I meant to make the strawberry filling for his birthday, but Haley chowed the berries before I could get to them. I'm not kidding. She opened the fridge, got the berries, and ate all but two while sitting on the kitchen floor in front of the fridge.
Now for one little note. I used my Strawberry Mousse Filling here. I made a batch about an hour in advance. If you want to simplify, chopped strawberries mixed with some sugar make a nice filling. Then use whipped cream on top. Yes, if you want to use spray-can whipped cream go ahead.
Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons amaretto or cognac (I used amaretto)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
about 1/3 cup melted butter (I used salted butter)
Method
1. Place all ingredients, except butter, into a blender, starting with the wet ones first. Cover and blend until smooth. You may want to use a rubber spatula and scrape down the sides and blend again to make sure you got it all.
2. Let the batter rest at room temperature, covered, about 30 minutes. If you want to make this further in advance, like earlier in the day or the night before (if you want to make these for breakfast), please store the covered batter in the fridge.
3. To cook, heat your 10" frying pan to about the same temperature that you would use to cook pancakes. I test the pan using drops of tap water. If it drips into the pan and immediately boils, scatters and evaporates, it is ready. Brush melted butter in the bottom of the pan. Quickly pour in about 1/3 cup of batter. Tilt, swirl, and wiggle the pan to make the batter spread evenly and coat the entire surface. (If you use a larger pan, you will need a bit more batter. A smaller pan will use a bit less, maybe 1/4 cup.)
4. Cook about 2-3 minutes. The edges should brown and start to curl. I like to wiggle the pan to see if the crepe has loosened on it's own. If it has, I use a large flexible spatula to turn it. If your crepe is sticking to the pan, you may need to run your spatula along the edges to help it lift if you don't want it very brown. If you are talented at pan-flipping cooked foods, you can flip your crepe that way. If you have people watching you cook, it's really impressive.
5. Cook until you reach your desired brownness. Transfer finished crepe to a plate and brush one side with melted butter. (If you want to cook all crepes before serving, carefully layer them on a plate kept in a warm oven. Then proceed to step 6.)
6. To fill, place about 3 generous tablespoons of filling, here I used Strawberry Mousse Filling, along the center. Roll it up like a cigar and serve two together.
You might want to sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or a drizzle of complimentary syrup or fruit coulis. You could also serve them unfilled with maple syrup, or use them for blintzes.
This recipe should make 10-12 crepes.
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